Ornaments on the Beach

When you go to the beach here there are 3 things you are guaranteed to see: water, sand and Hindu ornaments. There are a lot of small prayer spots cemented into place along the coast, in amongst rocks at times, which are evidently a common place to go and pray. There are also lots of these small loose ornaments (pictured) here and there. It relates to the story of how the God Ganesh got his elephants head (an unfortunate incident in which his Father tried to kill him), which happened next to the water (I don't really know the story well enough to be any more specific than that). This proximity of this event to water, coupled with a rule that these ornaments cannot be thrown away as rubbish when they're finished with, means people tend to throw them into the ocean or a river. Apparently, it seems someone decided this beach spot would be best for this one.

Marooned on Ile Maurice

It's about two months now since arriving on Mauritius. Marooned is a poor choice of words, I admit. It suggests there's some attempt to leave, but so far I've found no reason to. The humidity and sunburn doesn't warrant complaining, I don't think, though I assure you they're both very much apparent at times!

I'm writing this with a view of Grand Bay to my right. Very much immediately to my right; the sand is one metre away, and the turquoise water only a further two metres away. It's 26 degrees C, with a perfect breeze to make it comfortable, and a pint of the local beer, Phoenix, topping it off to a nice afternoon.

Beaches and cycling have been the main priorities since we arrived here. Going to the beach is like going for a pint back home; when you've finished work and you want to go somewhere to talk about work (for some reason) the beach is where you go. We've spent a few Friday nights watching the sun set on Mon Choisy beach with people from work, and spent a few (but not enough) daytime hours soaking up the sun and getting tanned (burned, in my case. Sun cream doesn't work). As for cycling goes, we bought mountain bikes and take them around the island a lot. We don't get far, around 50km at a time, but enough to explore the North. The rides are a mix of roads and sugar cane field rocky paths, which our mountain bikes were perfectly designed for.

We managed to explore as far down as port Louis, the capital. I was suprised to find that there's not much there apart from government offices, cheap import shops, and a slightly run-down looking waterfront. Nonetheless, we did have a fun few hours exploring the area under some very colourful umbrellas.

The bird life makes for interesting viewing. In the garden everyday you see the Indian mynah, mauritius fody and red whiskered bulbul, and it's common to see (village?) weavers and waxbills in the right place. The other day I saw parakeets, which is a world first for me. I still haven't seen the famous pink pigeon, though they are rare to see, I'm told.

More to tell, but I need to get my eyes off the screen and into my book. And onto the bay from time to time, of course.